Anchorage Dentist Brings Bleachorexia To The Public Eye

Anchorage, AK based Healthy Smiles Dental recently issued a public advisory regarding the dangers of Bleachorexia via a blog post on their website. Updated regularly, the dental clinic’s blog is a resource for multiple avenues of tooth-related care, running the gamut from basic tooth health habits to whether a smile can affect a person’s chances at finding love.

As noted in the blog post, a large subset of Americans care deeply about their personal appearance, pouring time, money, and effort into maintaining their looks. On top of this, it is not uncommon for people to go even further and seek certain enhancements to give them an edge, whether to impress their peers, place themselves further ahead in social standing, or even simply inspire their own body confidence. The issue, however, arises when this practice of enhancement is pushed to a dangerous extent, putting the individual’s physical and mental well being at risk.

Bleachorexia refers to the excessive practice of attempting to bleach and lighten teeth in order to gain a ‘pearly white’ appearance. Healthy Smiles Dental is able to identify these patients, known as ‘bleachorexics,’ by the telltale damage done to their teeth. The clinic notes that this damage is carried out over time due to the patient’s often erroneous belief that their teeth are not white enough. The damage eventually becomes cumulative as patients make multiple attempts to ‘fix’ their teeth.

Healthy Smiles Dental’s blog post states that, “Bleachorexia is considered a behavioral disorder. It is classified as a ‘body dysmorphic disorder,’ which is a mental condition where you can’t stop thinking about your ‘defect,’ although it may not be obvious to anyone else. It is similar to anorexia nervosa, in which a person believes he or she is overweight but is actually emaciated. Both anorexics and bleachorexics need counseling by medical therapists.”

Successive bleaching sessions carried out with home tooth-whitening products can cause the teeth to become increasingly sensitive. As this means that the enamel of the teeth can become more translucent over time, lending the teeth a more gray appearance as the damage worsens, an unaware user of such products may misidentify the problem and conclude that the correct response is to bleach their teeth even further. However, in addition to the teeth themselves, the gums, throat, and palate can each become irritated by this constant exposure, and the outer layer of the gums may lose their cohesion, beginning to slough off.

Gray or translucent teeth are a sure sign that remedial actions need to be taken—a responsible Anchorage dentist would advise these patients to halt their use of the products immediately. As Healthy Smiles Dental advises in their blog post, “As in most things in life, moderation is the key.”

Notably, this does not mean that such products are inherently dangerous. When used in moderation, as advised by most dentists, they are actually quite safe to use by the general public. Since tooth-whitening products are not covered by any sort of government regulation, it is up to the user to determine the extent of their own usage. Often, consulting with a dentist is always a good choice when deciding how much is ‘too much.’ The post offers some insight on this aspect, saying that, “The amount of damage depends on the products used, the duration of use, and the way they are applied.”

Voted one of 2015’s best Anchorage AK practices in Dentistry, Healthy Smiles Dental is a clinic whose work philosophy revolves around five core aspects: Excellence, Acceptance, Respect, Honesty, and Ethical Standards. While they are able to work with most insurance company, the clinic is a Preferred Provider for Premera Blue Cross, MetLife, Cigna, Connection Dental, Delta, Guardian, and GEHA.

Those looking for a reliable and experienced dentist may wish to contact Dr. Terry J. Preece of Healthy Smiles Dental. The clinic welcomes all patients, inviting them to visit https://www.anchoragehealthysmiles.com/ to learn more about the practice and the services on offer. They can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.